Waves Breaking Over Rocks Part 1

Chapter 4- Annie's Nightmare

Annie's Nightmare

I look around me.

On every side of me, there's a dense forest that looks exactly like the one on the window. I have nowhere safe to go to.

There are twenty-three other metal plates, same as the one I'm standing on, spread in a circle surrounding the large silver horn. In the horn is a display of weapons and backpacks. I see wickedly sharp swords, metal bows and arrows, wood javelins, and silver tridents.

I turn my head to see who's beside me. It's Finnick. He smiles a cocky smile that chills me to the bone and turns back to look at the Cornucopia. On the other side of me is Coral, looking straight ahead. I try to scream but it's futile; no sound comes out. A bit farther down I see Mags and Arnav. I fill with fear that makes my blood roar in my ears.

I hear the countdown: Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven...

I am confused and afraid: why are these people in my Games?

...Three! Two! One! I hear a loud boom and run to the big forest, grabbing a close-by knife, knowing there is no way I could survive the bloodbath.

I'm so concentrated on running I don't see the small shape in front of me. I bump into her full-force and hit the ground painfully. I quickly sit up to see the familiar face of Mags. She smiles her kind, motherly, smile and suddenly, there's something protruding from her chest. A knife. I look down at my hand, which is now empty even though I can't remember ever throwing my knife.

Mags doubles over and falls to the ground.

I run, faster than I've ever run before, and come across another person.

I stop short as I spot the person.

He's tangled up in vines that can move and are squishing him, making his skin blue. He tries to free himself, but his weak little body isn't strong enough to fight off the vines. He tries hard to breath, but he will be dead in a matter of seconds.

"Annie! Annie help! Annie why aren't you coming?!" I hear Arnav scream, but my feet can't move. They're planted on the ground and I can't run to help him. I try to yell but all that comes out is silence. His skin turns purple and his eyes bug out.

"Annie!" He screams and his eyes explode, sending blood everywhere. His body gives out and the vines release him. He tumbles to the ground and I can no longer see my little brother, only the bloody carcass of a broken boy. My feet can move again, but instead of taking me to Arnav's side like I want, they take me farther off into the forest.

I run and run, deeper into the awful forest, remembering Arnav's empty eye sockets and his usually brown hair a deep shade of red.

I hear a loud buzzing sound and recognize it from another Game. Tracker Jackers.

Tracker Jackers are genetically engineered wasps, whose sting produces searing pain and powerful hallucinations. Then I hear screams.

I turn to one side to find the source of the screams.

Cora, who is a fighter, who never gives up, who never, ever, needs help, who never cries and never complains, is on her knees with her hands flying about, trying desperately to swat away the wasps. They're on every inch of her skin. I can't move anymore, like before, I can't run away or run to her.

"Annie! Annie help!" She screams when she opens her eyes to look at me. The wasps go on her vulnerable open eyes and she screams louder. They go into her mouth, now. She chokes and coughs and blood comes out, but the Tracker Jackers keep coming in. She struggles to breathe, and, as she takes one big breath, more wasps enter through her mouth onto her lungs, killing her from within. They fill up her lungs and she obviously can't breathe anymore until, suddenly, she drops fully to the ground, twitching, and then stops completely.

I know the wasps are going to come after me now, so I run, back deeper.

Somehow, I've outrun them. I don't hear or see a single one, but I keep running just in case.

The sky turns dark and I finally stop running, trying to catch my breath. I lean back against a tree. But instead, I feel something soft and wet. I feel behind me with my hand and find more of the sticky stuff, but I'm afraid to turn around. I bring my hand back to my face and, using the moonlight, make out its dark red tone.

I shift and feel something extremely heavy on the back of my body. I fall to the ground and roll out from underneath the shape. I struggle to turn around the slimy solid so I can see it better.

I see a huge red mass, with red hair and red skin. The only other color in the whole thing is the green of his eyes. Finnick.

I scream louder than I thought possible. I check his pulse but find nothing. He feels cold and his chest doesn't rise and fall. He simply stares into space, into something I can't see. His expression is somewhat of surprise. There's a huge hole in his stomach and the blood is fresh.

"Annie." I hear someone hiss behind me. I slowly turn around, afraid of what I might see. I know who he is as soon as I see his face, his cow-like brown eyes and silky brown hair and huge build. It's Tyson. He smiles, but it's not his usual kind smile. This one is evil. He takes out his sword and moves it back, prepared to strike. I swear I can hear someone calling me. Must be an angel. Annie! Annie! Annie!

Tyson swings his sword and then there's nothing.